Illuminated maps in rare books

November 9, 2012
Thumbnail image for Illuminated maps in rare books

Over recent years, books of any period decorated with maps, particularly aged maps, have achieved a prominence of ever-increasing popularity. Although the majority of the best-selling books with maps fall under the traditional definition of ‘antique,’ a number of twentieth and late nineteenth century publications are seeing a fascinating growth in collector interest. Over the […]

Read the full article →

The rare books of Greece

November 6, 2012
Thumbnail image for The rare books of Greece

      When the word Greece is uttered, vibrant mental pictures rise up, much like the frothy spray of the Mediterranean as it lands on the pure white choral that its shorelines are so well endowed with. These picturesque mental pictures include such scenes as the warm European sun bathing ancient cities and castle ruins in […]

Read the full article →

Skyfall and the Ian Fleming book collector

October 31, 2012
Thumbnail image for Skyfall and the Ian Fleming book collector

Fifty years after his first movie appearance in 1962 with Dr No, James Bond has proved to be more popular than ever. Sam Mendes’s latest James Bond film, Skyfall took more than £20 million at the UK opening last weekend. With the beginning of November seeing the launch of the film in the US, expect […]

Read the full article →

The Art of Book Marbling Decoration

October 26, 2012
Thumbnail image for The Art of Book Marbling Decoration

When was the last time you were in the market for a fine binding? Did the presence of attractive marbled boards or marbled endpapers drive your purchasing decision? If you are like the majority of fine binding book collectors, marbled boards are probably an aesthetic bonus, but they do not constitute the driving factor behind […]

Read the full article →

Collectible Books on Books

October 23, 2012
Thumbnail image for Collectible Books on Books

It’s beginning to look as if the great e-book debate is shaping up along demographics – the younger generation is driving towards a world equipped with Kindles, while physical books and private libraries are for people with more to spend. Does this imply that at some point in the future sales of e-books will surpass […]

Read the full article →

When the companion volume is more valuable than its opus

October 19, 2012
Thumbnail image for When the companion volume is more valuable than its opus

In 1543 Andreas Vesalius published his opus De Humani Corporis Fabrica Librorum Septem (Fabrica) and, later the same month, the companion volume De Humani Corporis Fabrica Librorum Epitome (Epitome). The two volumes are considered to be the foundation of modern Anatomy. Vesalius viewed the Epitome as an introduction for the novice in medicine, serving as […]

Read the full article →

Which Binding is Suitable?

October 16, 2012
Thumbnail image for Which Binding is Suitable?

Rare Books Digest hosts opinions and views of international book trade professionals such as the one this week from contributor, book restorer, Alexandros Deligiorgis of Bibliodesia in Athens, Greece. (http://www.facebook.com/bibliodesia) When we have to deal with old books, whose covers are missing, and they are seriously damaged or not bound, and need to be restored, what type of binding […]

Read the full article →

To Grow a Library: Electronic or Hard Copies?

October 11, 2012
Thumbnail image for To Grow a Library: Electronic or Hard Copies?

What does it mean to grow a library? Does it mean we fill our heads with literature and our heads then become the library? Or does it mean we actually purchase books that we keep forever and display? Some argue that it does not matter the vesicle by which one reads a book; what matters […]

Read the full article →

Rare Book Sale Monitor update – 3rd Quarter 2012

October 9, 2012
Thumbnail image for Rare Book Sale Monitor update – 3rd Quarter 2012

Even before posting our feature on the “The Poor Man’s Bible” last April and, more recently, “The priceless Gutenberg Bible”  in September, the excitement surrounding rare religious books and, more specifically, old Bibles was on the rise.  Collectors are increasingly pouring large sums of cash into ancient religious texts. The Rare Book Sale Monitor (RBSM) recorded […]

Read the full article →

The Purpose of Bookseller Catalogs

October 5, 2012
Thumbnail image for The Purpose of Bookseller Catalogs

I talk with booksellers every day, and lately a large number of them tell me that they are finding it harder to justify the cost of producing new catalogs or catalogues to our friends across the pond. These are the publications containing a list of merchandise that the bookseller is featuring and promoting. Many booksellers […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →